Woven fabrics and method of manufacture

ABSTRACT

The towel of the present invention is formed of a fabric having a front face and an opposite rear face. The fabric has a first section that has a flat weave construction on both the front and rear faces and an adjacent second section that has a terry weave construction on both the front and rear faces.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to woven articles of manufacture and more specifically, to a woven fabric (e.g., a towel) that incorporates a first weave construction in at least one first section (e.g., a flat weave) and a second weave construction in at least one second section (e.g. a terry weave).

BACKGROUND

Generally, a woven fabric is a textile that is formed by weaving. The woven fabric is produced on a loom and is made of many threads (e.g. yarns) woven on a warp and a weft. As is known, a loom is piece of equipment that is used to weave a fabric and is configured to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The construction of the loom can vary depending upon the application; however, its general operation remains the same. The warp is the set of lengthwise threads that are held in tension on a frame or loom and the weft is the thread that is drawn through the warp threads to create the woven fabric.

Woven fabrics are thus produced by the interlacing of warp (0°) threads/fibers and weft (90°) threads/fibers in a regular pattern or weave style. The fabric's integrity is maintained by the mechanical interlocking of the threads/fibers.

Woven fabrics are used in a vast number of different applications including being used as household goods, such as towels. There are many different weaving styles depending upon the intended final product to be formed. For example, terrycloth is the most common material with which to make bath towels and bath robes (as well as other types of towels) that must absorb large quantities of water. The fabric itself is typically made of cotton or a cotton-polyester blend (or other synthetic fibers) that is woven into loops using a loom or the like. These loops create terrycloth's signature soft, plush texture and help to absorb more moisture than a flat fabric.

Terrycloth is assembled into a fabric using a standard process of warping and weaving. Longitudinal threads (fibers) are stretched or warped across beam while latitudinal threads are woven over and under the longitudinal threads. The width of the finished towel determined the number of necessary warp threads. Terrycloth is traditionally woven using two warp beams: the ground warp, which forms the base of the towel, and the pile warp, which creates the loops of thread that give the fabric its texture and function. The latitudinal threads are called “filler,” and they are woven loosely between the warp threads. When the filler is beaten down, its slack creates more loops in the fabric.

Another type of weave is a flat weave. Flat woven textiles are made using a weave that does not have pile. Flat weaves are typically decorative in nature and thus can be used for fashion and other applications in which the decorative nature of the textile is important. Flat weaves are lint free and therefore can be used for glassware cleaning, table wipes, to clean fruit and vegetables, etc.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, a towel is formed of a fabric having a front face and an opposite rear face. The fabric has a first section that has a flat weave construction on both the front and rear faces and an adjacent second section that has a terry weave construction on both the front and rear faces.

The towel constructions disclosed herein provide a towel that has at least one terry weave section (portion) for absorbency (cleaning and wiping) and at least one flat woven section (portion) for lint-free spot cleaning of kitchen wear and drying dishes, fruit and vegetables, etc. The consumer thus has in effect two towels along each face of a single towel construction. The resulting towel thus has increased versatility while having a uniform cross-section within the boundaries of each of the first and second sections.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front view of a textile (e.g., a towel) made in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is cross-sectional view of the towel of FIG. 1 taken through the warp;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a textile (e.g., a towel) made in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is cross-sectional view of a first section of the towel of FIG. 3 taken through the warp;

FIG. 4B is cross-sectional view of a second section of the towel of FIG. 3 taken through the warp;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a textile (e.g., a towel) made in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is cross-sectional view of a first section of the towel of FIG. 5 taken through the warp;

FIG. 6B is cross-sectional view of a second section of the towel of FIG. 5 taken through the warp;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a textile (e.g., a towel) made in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A is cross-sectional view of a first section of the towel of FIG. 7 taken through the warp;

FIG. 8B is cross-sectional view of a second section of the towel of FIG. 7 taken through the warp; and

FIG. 8C is cross-sectional view of a third section of the towel of FIG. 7 taken through the warp.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with the present invention, an improved textile 100 is provided and further, the method of manufacture thereof is also described herein. In accordance with the present invention, the textile 100 is in the form of a towel construction; however, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the present invention are not limited to the field of towel constructions and can be implemented in other related fields such as clothing, etc. For ease of discussion, the textile 100 will be described hereinafter as being a towel 100; however, this is not limiting of the scope of the invention.

Now referring to FIGS. 1-2, the towel 100 has a front face 102 and an opposite rear face 104. In accordance with the present invention, the towel 100 has a first weave construction 200 in at least a first section (region) 210 of the towel 100 and a second weave construction 300 in at least a second section (region) 310. The first weave construction 200 is different than the second weave construction 300 and more particularly, the first weave construction 200 comprises a flat weave and the second weave construction 300 comprises a terry weave (or the vice versa in that the construction 200 can be a terry weave and the construction 300 can be a flat weave).

The width of the towel 100 is identified by the legend “(W)” and the length of the towel 100 is identified by the legend “(L)”.

It will be understood that while in FIG. 1 the areas of the first weave construction 200 and the second weave construction 300 are shown as being the same, the relative sizes of the first weave construction 200 and the second weave construction 300 can be different than one another. In other words, the first weave construction 200 can occupy an area that is greater than or less than the second weave construction 300.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 extend across the entire width (W) of the towel 100 resulting in the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 having a side-by-side orientation.

In accordance with the present invention and in contrast to commercially available products, the rear face 104 is a mirror image in that the weave construction (e.g., the first weave construction 200) is the same in the first section 210 for both the front face 102 and the rear face 104 and similarly, the weave construction (e.g., the second weave construction 300) is the same in the second section 310 for both the front face 102 and the rear face 104. Thus, for any given section of the towel 100, the weave construction is the same on the front face 102 and the rear face 104.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the towel 100 taken through warp. As can be seen, the first section 210 has a flat weave construction 200 that is defined by weft (threads/yarns) 220; first ground warps 230 and second ground warps 240. The weft 220 binds the two ground warps 230, 240 together. The adjacent second section 310 has a terry weave construction 300 that is defined by weft 220, first ground warps 230, second ground warps 240, front side (first) pile warps 250, and back side (second) pile warps 260. The front side pile warps 250 produce the loops for the pile surface along the front face 102 and the back side pile warps 260 produce the loops for the pile surface along the rear face 104. The first and second pile warps 250, 260 project from the first and second ground warps 230, 240 and the weft 220 binds all of the warps 230, 240, 250, 260 together.

As shown in FIG. 2, this construction provides towel 100 with a tight flat weave in the first section 210 and a terry weave in the adjacent second section 310.

Any number of suitable materials can be used to form the first and second weave constructions 200, 300. For example, the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 can be formed of: (a) 100% cotton; (b) a cotton and polyester blend; (c) a blend of cotton and one or more other synthetics (e.g., lycra); (d) waffle fabric; (e) microfiber; or any other yarns/fiber that is suitable for use to produce the towel constructions described herein.

It will also be appreciated that the terry construction 300 can be formed by any number of different types of weaves including but not limited to a dobby construction such as plain terry, rib terry, popcorn terry or chevron, herringbone dobby. Additional types of weave constructions that can be implemented in the section 310 include but are not limited to piece dye dobby, piece dye dobby poly insert, yarn dye dobby, yarn dye dobby poly insert, yarn dye jacquard, etc.

The size and shape of the towel 100 will vary depending on the particular application and an intended use. For example and as will be expected, a bath towel has greater dimensions compared to a hand towel or kitchen towel. Exemplary dimensions for sample products are as follows: barmop: 16″×19″; kitchen towel: 17″×28″, 20″×30″, 21″×21″, 28″×28″; and hand towel: 16″×30″, 16″×28″. It will be understood that these dimensions are merely exemplary in nature and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

The towel 100 of the present invention combines a flat woven towel and a terry towel into a single towel. The towel 100 of the present invention provides a number of advantages over the prior art including that the user (customer) can use one section (portion 210) of the towel 100 as a flat woven towel for performing a first task, such as cleaning, wiping down dishes, etc., and at the same time can use the other section (portion 310) of the towel 100 as a super absorbent and durable terry towel. This provides the user with a number of advantages over conventional towel products even including those towels that have a terry construction on one face and another construction on the opposite face. In such a design, the entire face of the towel only offers one type of towel performance and thus, the user has to constantly flip the towel in order to realize the performance benefits of the other face of the towel. Since opposite sides (faces) of the towel offer different performance properties, if the section being used (e.g., terry face) becomes wet, the opposite face (e.g., flat weave) of the towel will likewise be marred and may not be able to be used due to the wetness thereof.

In contrast, the towel 100 of the present invention provides the user with two different towel performance experiences (properties) without having to use two different towel products and also without having to flip the towel. By fully and completely separating the two different towel constructions (two different weave constructions), the user can realize both performance properties of the towel without having to flip the towel. In addition, since the two sections are completely spaced from one another, if one section becomes overly saturated, the wetness does not mar the other section since this other section is not on the backside of the one section but instead is remote therefrom (i.e., is formed adjacent thereto).

In addition, by having the sections be independent but still part of the same single towel construction, improved performance properties are realized. For example, where there is a need for absorbency, the present towel has terry loops on both the front and rear faces in contrast to other designs in which the terry loops are limited to one face. The shear difference in the number of terry loops in the towel of the present invention provides improved performance. Similarly, the flat weave section provides improved performance due to it having a tight flat weave construction on the two opposing faces of the fabric.

FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B illustrate a towel construction 101 according to a second embodiment. The towel construction 101 is similar to the towel construction 100 in that the towel construction 100 has first and second weave constructions 200, 300 that are arranged in a side-by-side manner. In the towel construction 101, the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 extend side-by-side in a longitudinal direction (L) as opposed to a transverse direction that is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In other words, the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 can be thought of as stripes that run longitudinally, while neither of the weave constructions 200, 300 extend across the entire width (W) of the towel construction 101.

As with the other embodiments described herein, the first weave construction 200 is a flat weave and the second weave construction is a terry weave.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the first weave construction 200, while FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the second weave construction 300. The individual elements are numbered and are the same elements as in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

It will be understood that the widths of the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 can be at least substantially the same (as shown) or they can be different.

As with the towel construction 100, the towel construction 101 is designed to provide the user with two different towel properties as a result of the two different weave constructions without having to flip the towel 101 over.

FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B illustrate a towel construction 103 according to a third embodiment. The towel construction 103 is similar to the towel construction 100 in that the towel construction 103 has first and second weave constructions 200, 300 that are arranged in a side-by-side manner. In the towel construction 103, there is a pair of first weave constructions 200 and a pair of second weave constructions 300 arranged such that each weave construction is bordered by the other weave construction. In the towel construction 103, the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 are arranged in a checker board appearance.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the first weave construction 200, while FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the second weave construction 300. The individual elements are numbered and are the same elements as in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

It will be understood that the relative dimensions of the first and second weave constructions 200, 300 can be at least substantially the same (as shown) or they can be different.

As with the other embodiments described herein, the first weave construction 200 is a flat weave and the second weave construction is a terry weave.

FIGS. 7 and 8A-8C illustrate a towel construction 105 according to a fourth embodiment. The towel construction 105 is similar to the other towel constructions described herein in that the towel construction 105 has first and second weave constructions 200, 300 that are arranged in a side-by-side manner. However, in the towel construction 105, there is a third weave construction 400 that occupies a third section 410 of the towel 105. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of the weft (threads/yarns) 220; first ground warps 230 and second ground warps 240 in FIGS. 8A-8C is the same as in the other embodiments (e.g., FIG. 2 and FIGS. 4A and 4B).

In this embodiment, the first weave construction 200 comprises a flat weave and the second and third weave constructions 300, 400 comprise terry weaves that have different properties. More specifically, the pile loop size in one of the constructions 300, 400 is greater than the other construction 300, 400. In the illustrated embodiment, the pile loop size is greater (longer) in the third weave construction 400 relative to the second weave construction 300.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the first weave construction 200, while FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the second weave construction 300 and FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view of the third weave construction 400. The individual elements are numbered and are the same elements as in FIGS. 2A and 2B, with the difference between constructions 300, 400 being the lengths (heights) of the front side (first) pile warps 250 and back side (second) pile warps 260.

It will be understood that the relative dimensions of the weave constructions 200, 300, 400 can be at least substantially the same (as shown) or they can be different.

In addition, while the constructions 200, 300, 400 are shown as extending widthwise across the width (W), they also can be oriented lengthwise along the length (L) similar to what is shown in FIG. 3.

The towel constructions disclosed herein provide a towel that has at least one terry weave section (portion) for absorbency (cleaning and wiping) and at least one flat woven section (portion) for lint-free spot cleaning of kitchen wear and drying dishes, fruit and vegetables, etc. The consumer thus has two towels along each face of a single towel construction.

It will be appreciated that the towel constructions disclosed herein can be made with suitable equipment including a weaving apparatus (e.g., loom apparatus). The weaving apparatus is operated in a first mode of operation to form either the flat woven section or the terry section and then at a transition point, the weaving apparatus is operated in a second mode of operation to form the other of the flat woven section and terry section. Two or more different weaves can thus be employed to obtain the towel constructions described herein. This transition is seamless and the process can be repeated to form the complete towel construction. In the case of a programmable system, the weaving apparatus is programmed to weave the various sections according to the specific intended weave construction for that particular section. In one embodiment, after a fabric with the first weave construction is formed, the system switches the weaves (weaving apparatuses) in order to create the second type of weave construction.

While the present invention has been described above using specific embodiments, there are many variations and modifications that will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art. As such, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A towel comprising: a fabric having a front face and an opposite rear face, the fabric having a first section that has a flat weave construction on both the front and rear faces and an adjacent second section that has a terry weave construction on both the front and rear faces.
 2. The towel of claim 1, wherein the fabric has a defined length (L) and a defined width (W) which is less than the length (L), the first and second sections being arranged in a side-by-side manner with each of the first and second sections extending completely across width (W) of the towel.
 3. The towel of claim 1, wherein the fabric has a defined length (L) and a defined width (W) which is less than the length (L), the first and second sections being arranged in a side-by-side manner with each of the first and second sections extending completely along the entire length (L) of the towel.
 4. The towel of claim 1, wherein the towel includes two or more first sections and two or more second sections.
 5. The towel of claim 4, wherein the two or more first sections and the two or more second sections are arranged in a checker board pattern.
 6. The towel of claim 1, further including a single first section, a single second section and a third section that is adjacent the second section and has a terry weave construction on both the front and rear faces, wherein the terry weave constructions of the second and third sections are different from one another.
 7. The towel of claim 6, wherein a length of a pile loop of the second section is different than a length of a pile loop of the third section.
 8. The towel of claim 7, wherein the third section is spaced from the first section with the second section being disposed between the first and third sections, the length of the pile loop of the third section being greater than the length of the pile loop of the second section.
 9. The towel of claim 1, wherein a seamless transition exists between the first section and the second section.
 10. A method for manufacturing a towel comprising the steps of: weaving a first section of fabric from weft yarns and ground warp yarns so as to form a flat weave construction on both front and rear faces of the first section of fabric; and weaving a second section of fabric from weft yarns and ground warp yarns and interlacing pile yarns with the weft and ground warp yarns to form terry loops on opposing front and rear faces of the fabric in the second section thereof, wherein the second section is adjacent the first section and is integral thereto.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of weaving the first section of fabric comprises the step of using a first weave that is configured to form the flat weave and the step of weaving the second section of fabric comprises the step of switching the first weave with a second weave that is configured to form the terry loops.
 12. The method of claim 10, further including the step of weaving a third section of fabric from weft yarns and ground warp yarns and interlacing pile yarns with the weft and ground warp yarns to form terry loops on opposing front and rear faces of the fabric in the second section thereof, wherein the second section is adjacent the second section and is integral thereto and the terry loops in the second section have a length that is different than the length of the terry loops in the third section.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the towel has a defined length (L) and a defined width (W) which is less than the length (L), the first and second sections being arranged in a side-by-side manner with each of the first and second sections extending completely across width (W) of the towel.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the towel has a defined length (L) and a defined width (W) which is less than the length (L), the first and second sections being arranged in a side-by-side manner with each of the first and second sections extending completely along the entire length (L) of the towel.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the towel includes a plurality of first sections and a plurality of second sections, the plurality of first and second sections being arranged in a checker board pattern. 